Outlaw Internet Gambling, Federal Panel Urges

June 19, 1999|By JENNIFER CORBETT DOOREN Hearst Newspapers

WASHINGTON — Warning that adolescents are more likely than adults to become addicted to gambling, a federal commission recommended on Friday that wagering over the Internet be outlawed and that states raise the minimum age for placing bets to 21.

The National Gambling Impact Study Commission estimates that about 85 percent of people ages 12 to 18 have gambled at least once in their lives and that about 15 percent of those are either heavy gamblers or are addicted to gambling. Among adults, as many as 7 percent of gamblers are thought to have a problem.

"These statistics forewarn of even more serious gambling-related problems in the future," said James C. Dobson, a member of the commission.

The commission, whose key recommendations were unanimously supported by all nine members, sees the Internet as a particular threat.

"Gambling on the Internet is especially enticing to youth, [addicted] gamblers and criminals," the report said. "There are currently no mechanisms in place to prevent youth -- who make up the largest percentage of Internet users -- from using their parents' credit card numbers to register and set up accounts for use at Internet gambling sites."

The commission also recommended that states and schools form prevention programs for adolescents and remind them that sports betting is illegal. The commission found that betting on sports "may act as a gateway to other forms of gambling."

The 300-page report discusses the positive and negative aspects of legalized gambling and includes a list of more than 70 recommendations. It will be sent to Congress, the White House, Native American tribal governments and state governors.

The commission, whose members included representatives of the casino industry, was appointed by a bipartisan group of legislators in 1996. Dobson is president of the conservative group Focus on the Family.

"I'm deeply disturbed by the impact of gambling on individuals, on families and on communities," said Kay James, chairwoman of the commission.